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Kyoto · Japan
A vermillion hall and arched bridge reflected in a still pond among autumn maples at Daigo-ji, Kyoto
Kyoto · Japan
Autumn at Daigo-ji, the vermilion hall among the maples.
The latticed wooden teahouses of the Higashi Chaya district, Kanazawa

a region of japan

Chubu

Chubu is the mountainous centre of Honshu, nine prefectures between Tokyo and Kyoto: Mount Fuji, the Japanese Alps, Kanazawa on the Sea of Japan, Takayama and Shirakawa-go in the mountains, and Nagoya on the Pacific.

Higashi Chaya, Kanazawa

Prefectures
Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Nagano, Gifu, Yamanashi, Shizuoka and Aichi

overview

Chubu, at a glance

Chubu means the middle, and the region is the high heart of Honshu. The Japanese Alps run through it, with Kamikochi's valley beneath the peaks and Matsumoto's black castle on the plain below them. Mount Fuji stands at its south-eastern edge, between Yamanashi and Shizuoka, with the Fuji Five Lakes at its foot.

On the Sea of Japan coast lies Kanazawa, the castle town of the Maeda lords, with Kenrokuen, its geisha districts and its crafts of gold leaf and lacquer; inland are Takayama's merchant streets and the thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage village. The old post towns of the Kiso Valley keep the Nakasendo, the mountain road between Edo and Kyoto.

Chubu also holds two of Japan's three English-speaking ski areas, Hakuba in Nagano and Myoko in Niigata, and the hot-spring towns of Kaga and the Izu Peninsula. Nagoya, its great city, is a stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Kyoto.

places

Where to go in Chubu

Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan

  1. HakubaDeep snow under a wall of the high Alps, and an onsen at the end of the day.Nagano
  2. Izu PeninsulaOnsen in the valleys, the sea on three sides, and Mount Fuji over the water.Shizuoka
  3. Kaga, Yamashiro OnsenHot springs, porcelain and lacquer, in the old province that paid for Kanazawa.Ishikawa
  4. KamikochiA clear river, a larch forest, and a wall of granite peaks at the end of the valley.Nagano
  5. KanazawaA castle town that spent its fortune on gardens, tea and craft, and still lives by them.Ishikawa
  6. KaruizawaA highland forest where Tokyo has gone for cool air and quiet for well over a century.Nagano
  7. Kiso ValleyAn old road through the cypress forests, and the wooden inns that waited for its travellers.Nagano
  8. Lake KawaguchikoA lake at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain in the water.Yamanashi
  9. MatsumotoA black castle over its moat, and the snowy wall of the Alps behind it.Nagano
  10. Mount FujiThe mountain Japan has painted, worshipped and looked for from every window for a thousand years.Yamanashi and Shizuoka
  11. MyokoSnow that falls deep and soft, a mountain resort of its own, and quiet all around it.Niigata
  12. NaganoA city that grew around a temple, in a valley of orchards beneath the Japan Alps.Nagano
  13. NagoyaThe city the Tokugawa built for their own, with the crafts and kilns of central Japan around it.Aichi
  14. Shirakawa-goFarmhouses roofed like hands joined in prayer, in a valley of rice fields and cedar.Gifu
  15. TakayamaA town of dark cedar and carpenters' joinery, with the Japan Alps on its eastern horizon.Gifu
  16. Tateyama Kurobe Alpine RouteA day spent crossing the roof of Japan by cable car, ropeway and tunnel.Toyama and Nagano

journeys

Tours of Japan that include Chubu

Each journey below includes Chubu; choose one to see its route, dates and price.

questions

Chubu: questions answered

Which prefectures are in the Chubu region?

Nine: Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui on the Sea of Japan; Nagano, Gifu and Yamanashi in the mountains; and Shizuoka and Aichi on the Pacific.

Is Mount Fuji in Chubu?

Yes. Mount Fuji stands on the border of Yamanashi and Shizuoka, both in Chubu. Lake Kawaguchiko and the other Fuji Five Lakes are on the Yamanashi side; Hakone, the other classic place to see the mountain, is across the border in Kanagawa, in Kanto.

How do you travel between Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kyoto?

By the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa in about two and a half hours, then on by train to Kyoto, or by private car through Shirakawa-go and Takayama, the mountain route we favour.

Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Chubu?

The Autumn Leaves Tour of Japan, The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan and Definitive Japan include Chubu. The Custom Tour of Japan can include anywhere in Chubu, on your own dates.

the regions of japan

The rest of Japan

All of Japan on one map

Reading on Chubu

Chubu, planned for you.

Tell us when you would like to travel and which places in Chubu draw you. We will answer with a journey shaped around them: one of our tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.

The Custom Tour of JapanOur tours of Japan